Gu Ailing competes in the women's freeski slopestyle final on February 9, 2026 in Livigno, Italy. Photo: Xinhua

Eileen Gu, the two-time Olympic gold medalist competing for Team China, said Monday that the spillover of US domestic political issues into the Games "runs contrary to everything the Olympics should be," after she was asked the issue that US President Donald Trump branded US freestyle skier Hunter Hess a "real loser" for saying he felt "a little hard" to represent his country amid America's tense and divisive political climate.

When asked about Trump's slams on Hess, skier Gu Ailing, also known as Eileen Gu, told media on Monday that "I'm sorry that the headline that is eclipsing the Olympics has to be something so unrelated to the spirit of the Games. It really runs contrary to everything the Olympics should be," the New York Times reported. 

"The whole point of sport is to bring people together," Gu said. "One of the very few common languages, that of the human body, that of the human spirit, the competitive spirit, the capacity to break not only records, but especially in our sport, literally the human limit. How wonderful is that?" per a New York Times report. 

Gu was speaking Monday after winning silver in the freeski slopestyle event representing China, her fourth career Olympic medal.

The politically charged atmosphere in Olympics intensified on Friday, when Hess was asked what it meant to represent the US in the current climate domestically and internationally at a press conference.  

Hess said representing his country "brings up mixed emotions." "If it aligns with my moral values, I feel like I'm representing it. But just because I'm wearing the flag doesn't mean that I represent everything that's going on in the US," according to the New York Times. 

The AFP said that several athletes' ire at the 2026 Winter Games has been the US crackdown on immigration, in particular the tactics adopted by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, following fatal shootings of two protesters by federal officers in Minneapolis last month which has sparked outrage in the US. 

Hess' teammate Chris Lillis echoed similar sentiments while emphasizing his pride in competing for Team US. He said that athletes are often hesitant to speak up publicly about politics and feels "heartbroken about what's happened in the US," according to media reports. 

Trump said in a Truth Social post on Sunday that "U.S. Olympic Skier, Hunter Hess, a real Loser, says he doesn't represent his Country in the current Winter Olympics. If that's the case, he shouldn't have tried out for the Team, and it's too bad he's on it. Very hard to root for someone like this."

In response to Trump-Hess spats, US snowboarder Bea Kim expressed support to Hess on Monday. She said athletes had a right to voice their opinions. "We need to lead with love and compassion, and I'd love to see more of that," the New York Times reported. 

International Olympic Committee (IOC) expressed a neutral position. IOC spokesperson Mark Adams said at Monday's press briefing that he's "not going to add to the discourse, because I don't think it's very helpful to heat up any kind of discourse like that."

The US Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) said in a statement that it monitors public platforms, removes content when possible and escalates credible threats to law enforcement as appropriate, claiming that "No athlete should have to face this alone," the Reuters reported. 


Global Times